Growing evidence of “parent resentment” between childless professionals and
working mothers and fathers has been revealed in the largest ever British
study of women in the workplace.

Two thirds of young women who are non-parents say that they are expected to work longer hours than colleagues with children, according to the study of 25,000 women aged 28 to 40, which will be published next month.

The resentment is especially true in the private sector, with growing “tension” between the two groups, the research found.

The report will reveal that the majority of women believe that having children could adversely affect their careers. More than three quarters of those surveyed admitted to feeling “nervous” about the impact of having children on their professional success.

Lynne Franks, the founder of women’s networking space B.Hive and speaker at the Women of the World festival taking place on London’s South Bank next weekend, said of the report. “I’m saddened to see this woman against woman trend. I work with a lot of senior women who have families and they work just as hard as those without children but they may work different hours. It’s a case of perception versus reality.”

The Project 28-40 report by Opportunity Now, an organisation that campaigns for gender equality in the workplace, shines a spotlight on the issues that plague the flexible working movement.

Almost half of the women surveyed believe people who work flexibly are resented by colleagues. Some 55pc said flexible workers were also viewed as “less committed” in their organisations. Two thirds cited flexible working as a real barrier to career progression.

“The survey responses show an uneasy tension between women who don’t have children and those who do – two thirds of non-parents feel they are expected to work longer hours than those with children – while at the same time there’s a widespread view that those who work flexibly will progress less quickly than their peers, even if their contribution is similar,” said Helena Morrissey, chairman of Opportunity Now and the chief executive of Newton Investment Managers.

She added: “These findings suggest that flexible working isn’t working. One group feels resentment, the other feels less valued.

“Overcoming this tension is entirely possible – but companies need to measure output, not hours worked and radically reassess working practices.”

The report also looked into unfairness in the workplace. It found that 52pc of women have experienced at least one form of discrimination during the past three years.

More than a quarter (28pc) have experienced unfair treatment, while 27pc have been deliberately undermined by someone overloading them with work or constant criticism.

The same proportion were victims of overbearing supervision or the misuse of power and position.

While 48pc of women have witnessed bullying or unfair treatment of a female colleague, only 28pc had seen their male counterparts suffer the same discrimination.